The present invention comprises a new Dahlia, botanically known as Dahlia hybrid and hereinafter referred to by the variety name ‘DAHZ0003’.
‘DAHZ0003’ is a product of a planned breeding program. The new cultivar has large magenta double flowers, an upright plant habit with good branching, dark green foliage, and good floriferousness.
‘DAHZ0003’ originates from a sibling cross hybridization in a controlled breeding program in Andijk, Netherlands. The pollinations were made in May 2007.
The female parent was an unpatented, proprietary hybrid seedling identified as ‘D06-251-1’, having deep rose flower color, dark green foliage, and a smaller plant size than ‘DAHZ0003’.
The male parent of ‘DAHZ0003’ was an unpatented, proprietary plant identified as ‘D06-262-3’, with dark red flower, large flower size, medium green leaves, and open and not good branching plant habit.
The resulting the seed sown in April 2008 and ‘DAHZ0003’ was selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in September 2008 in a greenhouse in Andijk, Netherlands.
The first act of asexual reproduction of ‘DAHZ0003’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were propagated from the initial selection in April 2009 in a controlled environment in Andijk, Netherlands.